MCC President updates Members on the redevelopment of Lord’s Cricket Ground
Published: 11 April 2013

Please see below a letter sent a few moments ago to MCC Members from Club President, Mike Griffith.

MCC will make further comment on this subject following the conclusion of its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 1st May 2013.

Dear Member,

The M.C.C. Committee met at Lord’s yesterday afternoon and I have decided to write to all Full and Senior Members of the Club to explain the position which the Committee has now reached in relation to the subject of Ground redevelopment.

Members may be aware that the Ground Working Party has been assessing in detail, over many months, various plans to redevelop the Ground. As part of this process, the Working Party has received a presentation from the Rifkind Levy Partnership (RLP), from whom the Club leases the strip of land at the Nursery End. The presentation consisted of a scheme to build on that strip of land, which is leased to the Club until 2136. At yesterday’s meeting, the Committee listened to a report from the Chief Executive & Secretary on the discussions which he and the Deputy Secretary have had with RLP.

The Committee is totally focused on ensuring that Lord’s is in the most advantageous position possible to secure major matches in the future, and no development at the Ground should put that position at risk. Accordingly, the RLP proposal was rejected for the reasons stated below.

1. The Committee believes that the size of the Nursery Ground is sacrosanct, both for the staging of cricket matches and as a practice area of international standard. 2. A development such as that proposed by RLP would lead to a loss of operational space essential for the running of the Ground on major match days. 3. The visual and environmental impact of the proposed RLP scheme would damage the character and ambience of Lord’s.

In addition, the Committee received a presentation from the Chairman of the Ground Working Party, Colin Maber, on the progress of the Club’s Masterplan, part of which was a presentation from the Treasurer, Robert Leigh, on the funding of that plan. The Committee supported both presentations. At the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 1st May, similar presentations will be made to Members on both the RLP and the Club’s proposals.

These are important subjects for the Club, and I look forward to seeing as many Members as possible at the A.G.M. I shall be writing to you again after the Meeting.